This is the personal blog of Bobby Caputo, Photographer from Queens, NY.
Traveling Photographer,
Music Lover,
Coffee Drinker,
Beer Nerd,
Data Junkie
I post what interests me. Photography, Music, Coffee, Craft Beer,Food, & Politics.
Plus a bunch of random nonsense I find entertaining on the web.
Follow my photography blog
I also run "Take a Photo, Pass it On"
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You can't create a great moment, they just happen. You need to capture it before it's gone.
All I know is that I’ve been to a lot of places and I will always prefer New York City.
World’s tallest building, Sky City will break ground next month in China
Developers of what will be the world’s tallest building, the broad group has already had success with the prefab skyscraper method with their 15 storey s9 building in shanghai, which was delivered and assembled the 30 storey hotel structure in a mere 15 days; however the a subdivision of the chinese developer made waves when they announced that they aimed to construct the tallest building in the world, sky city within 90 days. while the project was set to top out this march 2013, the hunan-based developer broad group announced that the total construction time will be 7 months. the aptly named ‘sky city’ will reportedly break ground next month. the extreme productivity is mainly due to a system of modules and prefabricated parts combined with a back-breaking timeline. located in just outside changsha, the rapidly developing waterfront area that will soon house a zaha hadid theater complex, the mixed use residential complex will house 31,000 people inside. approximately 83% of the vertical complex will be exclusively residential, while 3% will be reserved for office use. a hotel with a thousand person capacity and a school set to educate 4600 children is also planned for the veritable urban complex.
‘Aspekt’ modular SLR camera system
Considering the fact that digital cameras still constrain the user to only use accessories from the same brand, a team from the university of applied science in schwäbisch gmünd, germany have come up with a solution to adapting to the needs and demands of professional photography equipment. ‘aspekt’, the mirrorless digital camera system is divided into specific functional elements and redesigned as a modular setup. the specially designed units enable users to attach older lenses which are not supported by SLR devices.
Separate modules house a series of different components including a 24 megapixel full frame CMOS sensor - which can be rotated from landscape to portrait without having to operate the device in an uncomfortable position - computing processor, battery with ergonomic grip and high quality OLED monitor in the viewfinder. the ‘aspekt’ also includes thunderbolt extensions for connectivity, alongside slots for conventional memory cards, a hard drive or flash memory.
(Source: designboom.com)
ONDU PINHOLE CAMERAS
Pinhole cameras represent one of the most basic forms of photography — but that doesn’t mean they have to be inelegant. ONDU Pinhole Cameras ($60-$200) are made from high-quality woods and feature classy designs with rounded corners and simple shapes, letting you enjoy and explore pinhole photography without the odd looks that can come from using more primitive devices. They’re available in 135, 135 panoramic, 6x6, 6x12 Multiformat, 4” x 5”, and sliding box models, and are expected to ship in October.
Artist Hand-Painted A Constellation Of 47,000 Stars Onto Museum’s Ceiling
Well-known for hosting Rembrant’s The Nightwatch, Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum invited Turner Prize winner Richard Wright to decorate the ceiling outside of the room that holds the piece. Laying on his back, hoisted up a few feet from the ceiling, Wright painted 47,000 black stars in his typical mind-warping fashion. Jonathan Jones of Guardian UK explains the work of Glasgow-based Richard Wright:
He paints modern frescoes that transform interior spaces by literally opening up new perspectives. Using mathematically calculated techniques that go back to Italian Renaissance architects Filippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battista Alberti, he maps out abstract patterns that create vertiginous spatial illusions.
The patience and monotony of painting 47,000 stars is mind-blowing and the dizzying design must have made it even more of a challenge. Wright was probably seeing stars in his sleep! This stellar ceiling is a work that would make the soberest of people feel like they just ate treats from one of Amsterdam’s coffee shops.
(Source: visualnews.com)
Why So Many Beer Bottles Suddenly Look So Different
You’d know a can of Budweiser anywhere. Like many other major brands, whether it’s Coca-Cola, M&Ms, or BMW, Bud’s red and white packaging is instantly recognizable. It’s familiar, it’s safe, and it’s universally likeable. But recently Budweiser, along with several other ubiquitous beer makers including Miller Lite, Heineken, and Sam Adams, have made major changes to their iconic packaging. Here’s why.
Future Mapping Company
London’s niche cartographer Marcus Kirby fuses data with design in a brilliant NYC map
In the contemporary age of GPS and smartphones, mapmaking is quickly becoming a craft of the past. But Marcus Kirby, founder of East London’s Future Mapping Company, is determined to make us think otherwise with his new representation of New York City, set for release at the end of May. “I felt that the art and craft of mapmaking had become quite formulaic,” Kirby says, “I wanted to rejuvenate the craft.”
Utilizing his background in color forecasting for the fashion industry, Kirby produces cartographic works of art. The maps are equal parts reference tool and design centerpiece, with bold color palettes and boundless attention to detail. Having caught the attention of cartographers and designers alike with his cutting-edge representations of London’s streets, Kirby’s NYC map is the first of its kind to blend modern geographical data, classical cartographic printing techniques and a gallery-worthy aesthetic.
Stretching across the five boroughs, Kirby’s map features roads and landmarks, as well as subway stations, footpaths and detailed representations of over 1,700 public parks and spaces—even the outlines of buildings are represented.
But the map’s most striking feature is its color-coded representation of the city’s bicycle routes. Protected bike lanes are distinguished from shared lanes, and areas where cycling is not permitted are also represented. All of the bicycle routes include direction of travel arrows, so you can forget those traffic tickets for going against the flow. Kirby says being based in cycle-centric East London influences the way he sees cities. “Cycling is by far the best way to travel about town with freedom,” Kirby says, and his NYC map is a great wall piece for urban cyclists to plan their routes.
Kirby’s maps stand out largely because of their unique production process. “It’s unusual to use lithographic printing rather than digital nowadays as it’s much more costly and time-consuming, but the results are really worth it,” Kirby says. Lithographic printing allows for the intense level of detail while maintaining crisp clarity. The Future Mapping Company’s NYC map is printed in Italy on high quality silk-coated paper measuring 51 x 40 inches, and is available in two colorways. The vivid colors and metallic tones have come to define Future Mapping Company’s work, setting it apart from traditional contemporary printed maps known for their yawn-inducing palettes.
The NYC map from Kirby reinstates the printed map as an inspiring work of art and craft by infusing modern, useful data and nice colorways with high quality production methods and materials. “It’s a very accessible, practical design piece,” Kirby says, “everyone can look at a map and have something to say.”
The Future Mapping Company’s NYC map starts at $57, available from their website and select stockists worldwide.
Alcohol Under a Microscope
The latest art? No, but one could argue the point. Its actually different types of alcohol photographed under a microscope. The photographs are taken after the liquid has crystallized on a slide and then shot under a polarized light microscope. Fascinating results. The company that undertook this venture is called Bevshots. “art. distilled.”
- American Draft Beer
- Champagne
- Tennessee Whiskey
- Tequila
- Red Wine
- White Wine
- Gin
- Vodka
Dave Cole
The Knitting Machine, 2005
acrylic felt with excavators and alumininum utility poles
Carnovsky: zigzagging installation for Missoni
Apart from their ‘RGB fabulous landscapes’ presented during milan design week 2013 (see designboom’s coverage of the exhibition here), Carnovsky was commissioned to create a site specific installation for missoni featured within the italian company’s Milan showroom. Appropriately called ‘zigzagging’, which speaks of Missoni’s classic stripes and geometric motifs, the piece followed in the same vein of the milan-based studio’s previous works, this time using the fashion house’s fantastical patterns as their image source in which to apply their RGB experimentation.
Industrial gas pipe is the LEGO of our adult years. Unlike LEGO, you don’t need thousands of pieces to make anything functional, gas pipe is a lot harder to step on and it looks a whole lot cooler. And while you could certainly spend a bunch of time and money at the hardware store picking up parts and building a desk lamp, sconce or floor lamp, it might be easier just to pick up one of these expertly crafted pieces from T Rowe Designs. Using gas pipe, glass insulators, paint (if you want it) and a fair bit of design eye, T Rowe Designs makes some of the coolest pipe lighting we’ve seen in a while. Take the Mario Bros. lamp for instance. Send everyone’s favorite Italian plumber (or his brother, Toad or Yoshi) into the warp pipe and the light comes on. Coolest Dad ever award goes to the guy that puts this in his kid’s room.
